Narrators Ryan Do and VyVy Nguyen charm listeners with a story featuring star-crossed lovers and mouthwatering foods, told in fast-paced alternating first-person chapters. Bao Nguyen waits on tables in his family’s Vietnamese restaurant. Do conveys his anxieties about his lack of drive. His family has a long-running rivalry with the restaurant owners across the street, but when he and their daughter, Linh Mai, have a chance encounter, sparks fly. Linh’s artistic ambitions and family expectations already cause conflict, and Nguyen’s compelling narration ensures that listeners hear the joys and fears of her secret relationship with Bao. Vietnamese phrases and tones are narrated smoothly throughout the novel, adding to the richness of the listening experience. Both narrators convey the thrills of first love, and the teens’ loyalty to their families and community.
(Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2021
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781797119472
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An effervescently fresh spin on Dirty Dancing that will resonate with modern teens.
Katherine, who likes being called Kat and hates her childhood nickname, Kitty, reluctantly agrees to spend the summer engaging in family bonding time at Camp Ochoa in Southern California. After stumbling upon a staff party where teen dance instructors Jordan and Toni are showing off their moves, Kat impulsively volunteers to learn the routine so that Jordan can audition for a dance scholarship when Toni isn’t available. Guillory’s Kat is funny and relatable, alternately brimming with confidence and self-doubt. Her heart is still tender from quitting ballet two years earlier amidst intense scrutiny and body-shaming, but Kat’s joy in the freedom of hip-hop dance rings through the voice Guillory crafts for her.
An effervescently fresh spin on Dirty Dancing that will resonate with modern teens. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225081423
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2027
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends.
Rebecca Soler narrates this haunting audiobook with a lyrical quality that draws listeners deep into its magical realism and its many-layered story. Her emotional control serves the narrative well, allowing the story's quietest moments to land with weight. Soler voices Lexie and Chester, two teens with heavy pasts and dark secrets who are drawn to each other by an undeniable cosmic pull. On a freezing winter morning, five people, including Chester, go for a swim and wake the next day transformed into birds, their lives forever altered. Measured pacing and tender characterizations give each teen a distinct inner life.
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217351152
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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